Rebels rugby tournament goes Saturday

By Greg Price
Taber Times
gprice@tabertimes.com

It will be the exclamation point to another successful season for the W.R. Myers Rebels junior varsity girls rugby team as it is set to host a rugby tournament this Saturday at Myers field.

The tournament will feature five girls teams and five boys teams, with the first match scheduled at 8 a.m., with the final match slated for 5:30 p.m. F.P. Walshe is still to be determined as an add on for the girls side.

The girls side includes squads from W.R. Myers, Chinook, Raymond, Winston Churchill, and Cardston.

The boys side features teams from Chinook, LCI, Winston Churchill, F.P. Walshe and Medicine Hat/Crescent Heights.

The tournament will give spectators a glimpse at how far the girls rugby program has progressed over the years as the JV team is the pipeline to the varsity squad that has been making its mark as well in league play.

“(Wednesday) night, Amish and I went to Lethbridge because Raymond was playing Churchill in the senior game and the scenario was if Raymond would have won the game, Myers would have been the southern Alberta league champions. But if Churchill tied, or won, they would have been champions,” said Andrew Llewelyn-Jones, a co-coach with the W.R. Myers Rebels girls rugby program.

“Winston Churchill won the game 28-27. Very close. That meant Myers was runner up, but that’s great for the program. We have gone from 2010 when we had our first year line up, to now we are right up there with the best teams in the league.”

Beyond losing an outside half to concussion concerns, the junior varsity Rebels will be going into its last games of the season relatively healthy at the tournament.

“We should be abel to compete very well with the other teams and it’s nice to showcase the sport in Taber. Hopefully, a lot of parents and fans will come out to watch the games and we will be hoping for sunny weather,” said Llewelyn-Jones. “Last year, we had a very successful day and that’s why most team were asking if we could host it again. Traditionally, the tournament has always been held in Medicine Hat, but that’s a long way for some of the teams to go. Taber is a lot more central and people seem to like the venue.”

The Rebels kick off the tournament slate with an 8 a.m. game against Chinook at Myers field. Games go in half-hour intervals, switching back and forth from girls to boys games. The Rebels are also scheduled to play at 10 a.m. against Cardston, 1 p.m. against Raymond and a 3 p.m. match against Winston Churchill. The last match of the day on Saturday is a boys match between Medicine Hat/Crescent Heights and F.P. Walshe at 5:30 p.m.